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[CLKD]

An office manager has won a £37,000 payout after her boss told her she used the menopause as an "excuse for everything".

Karen Farquharson, 49, said she was told to "just get on with it" after being off work ill due to her symptoms.

An employment tribunal heard that Jim Clark, managing director of Thistle Marine, in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, dismissed it as "aches and pains".

Ms Farquharson was off with stress then resigned from the engineering firm.

She successfully sued the company for unfair dismissal and harassment.

Menopause guidance is 'magnificent step forward'


Ms Farquharson had worked for Thistle Marine since 1995 and was earning £38,000 a year before she quit.

[CLKD]

The case of a woman who was allegedly discriminated against due to suffering menopause symptoms will be heard by a tribunal in a legal first. [don't think so!]

Maria Rooney, 52, took sickness leave from her job at Leicester City Council due to the symptoms, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said.

She resigned in October 2018, claiming she received unfavourable treatment and inappropriate comments over the issue.

The council said it was not appropriate to comment ahead of the hearing.


Again: no joined up thinking - no thought to check other Cases for menopause-related Court cases?

[CLKD]

The 52-year-old told a hearing on Tuesday she had been bullied, harassed and intimidated by her managers.

The city council is contesting her claim.

Ms Rooney's case represents the first time an employment tribunal has considered symptoms of menopause as a disability.


Now peri/menopause is seen as a 'disability'.  How do others feel?  One commentator in the Telegraph today is outraged, can't remember her name but she's married to Piers Morgan  : if it takes the word 'disability' to get through to Industry and other managers that we need support and care during The Change, then so be it?  The word can be removed as the years pass by. 

It can disable women with unexpected and over whelming symptoms. 

[Nas]

The trouble with menopause, is it is so individual. You could have two women of the exact same age, working along side each other, doing a similar job.

Woman A is seemingly sailing through the change. She’s never felt better, sleeps like a log, is glad to be period free; happy days!

Woman B however, is struggling to get more than two hours a night, drenched in sweat every half an hour and can’t remember  her words.

When Woman B finally goes off sick, managers etc are all wondering what the issue is. Woman A is living her best life, while woman B wishes she could curl up and hide from the world!

Yes, menopause can disable a woman with debilitating symptoms. But the minute you stick a label on a condition, you may get outrage from the likes of woman A!

All very tricky. Women’s health needs a massive boost of publicity ( and not just the menopause!) 

[CLKD]

Yep.  having spent time in the surgery waiting room earlier there is NO menopause information at all  despite my best endeavours a few years ago.  I feel an e-mail to the Practice Manager in the offing 

[Nas]

The trouble is people often think of a few hot sweats and cessation of periods when you first mention menopause.

Little do they know that there are at least 50 other symptoms which could accompany those hot moments!

All subjective and individual sadly, like pregnancy and other “women’s “ health .

[SarahT]

My gp surgery has setup a menopause cafe in a nearby village. I believe someone from the surgery will also be on hand to offer the medical advise that may be needed in a more relaxed environment. The two gps I have seen for hormonal Crap have been knowledgeable and supportive. full marks to them. Do indeed write to your surgery CLKD,  it may make a huge difference to some women.

And Nas, ( hi you! 😍) I am 100% in agreement in that women's meno experiences vary  hugely. I have given up discussing it with friends who have had a 'simple ' peri and meno time. Blank disbelieving looks we all know. However on the flip side I sent an hour talking to a total stranger at the weekend about our respective difficulties with our hormones! All the intimate details worked through with utter honesty and understanding... and of course I guided her into this forum. I think that is an important detail, the huge variation from woman to woman  in symptoms and their impact of each aspect of life.

[CLKD]

e-Mail sent Pronto ....... as well as adding that, when I asked for the Shingles jab in June when DH had his, I was told that it is off licence B4 the age of 70.  However, Boots offer it privately for anyone 50 and over